Currency



w. H. GENTNER.

cumucv. APPLICATION FILED MAY 25, '92].

Patented Oct. 18, 1921.

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'ezzlnez a UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM HENRY GENTNER, 0F FAR-MINGTON, IOWA.

CU RRENGY.

Application filed May 25.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVILLIAM H. GENTNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Farmington, in the county of Van Buren and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Currency, of which the followlng 1s a specification.

The device forming the subject matter of this application is a piece of currency, the word currency being taken as meaning a flexible sheet, lssued by a government in l1eu of metal, and passing freely from hand to hand, as a standard of value and a medium of exchange.

The invention aims to provide novel means whereby, at the will of an operator, the piece of currency may be divested of its value, the construction being such that the piece of currency may be divested of its value, and invested with its value, as often as desired, without working any injury to the constituent material of the piece of currency.

It is within the province of the disclosure to improve generally and to enhance the utility of devices of that type to which the invention appertains.

lVith the above and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that, within the scope of what is claimed, changes in the precise embodiment of the inventionshown can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings Figure 1 shows in plan, a piece of currency constructed in accordance with the invention, parts belng broken away; and Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line 22 of Fig. 1, the scale being enlarged greatly.

The numeral 1 denotes the body of a piece of currency, of the sort commonly known as paper money, and described with sufficient accuracy by that term. The body 1 is flexible, and generally made of paper, the body including layers 2 and 3 which are cemented together.

Disposed between the layers 2 and 3 of the body 1 and extended longitudinally thereof, is a reinforcing strip 4, which may be made of cloth, if desired. The reinforcing strip 4 is of double-walled construction, as shown at 5. On the strip 4, the value Specification of Letters Patent.

, Patented Oct. 18, 1921.

1921. Serial No. 472,524.

of the paper is woven, stamped or otherwise marked, indelibly, as shown at 40.

The invention comprises a seal which is a composite structure, the seal including a stud 6 having a disk-like foot 7. The foot 7 of the stud is located between the walls 5 of the reinforcing strip 4, the stud 6 passing outwardly through one wall 5 of the strip 4, and through the layer 2 of the body 1, as indicated clearly in Fig. 2. The seal comprises-a head 8 having a means 9 for engaging the stud 6 releasably and detachably, the construction being that of a separable snap fastener. The fastener may be of any desired construction, and although I have described one fastener in detail, any kind of a fastener may be used. A portion of the head 8 extends through a strip 10 and is clenched thereon, so that the strip is held securely on the head. The strip 10 is flexible, and may be a piece of ribbon, tape or other suitable material.

The head 8 is provided with a mark 11 of any desired sort, selected by the government for the purpose of identifying the seal. The strip 10 is marked, as indicated at 12, to correspond with the marking 14 of the body 1 and designating the value of the piece of currency.

In practical operation, the piece of ourrency circulates freely at its face value, so long as the head'8 is in place. Clearly, it is possible to detach the head 8, by means of the strip 10, and, then, the piece of currency may be considered to be of no value. The advantage incident to divesting the currency of its value, at will, and to investing the currency with its value, at will, is obvlous.

Different metals may be used in the making of the head 8, depending upon the value of the piece of currency. Further, the strip '10 may be colored in any desired way, to represent different values, or classes of ourrency, or, if desired, different materials may be employed in the making of the strip 10.

Although the reinforcing strip 4 has been described as being of double-walled construction, it will be understood that, if desired, the strip may be of single walled construction.

It is to be understood that the device forming the subject matter of this application is not confined in its use to currency or paper money. It may be employed in connection with all sorts of negotiable papers issued by a government and representing money. Without limiting the field of the invention, by stating certain specified uses, it may be observed that the invention may be used on government bonds such as liberty loan bonds, bank notes, silver and gold certificates, reserve bank notes,national bank notes and anything of a similar sort.

Owing to the fact that the value of the papers is indelibly placed on the strip 4:, as shown at 40, and since the Value of the paper is likewise placed on the strip 10, as shown at 12, it will be exceedingly difficult, if not above. The strips denoted at 4: and at 10 pref erably are of the same color for each class, the

color being changed in the various classes. Thus, for class A, the color may be red, class B carrying white as its distinguishing color, and class C being designated by the color blue, so far as the strips 4 and 10 are concerned, the colors specified corresponding to the colors of the United States flag. The head 8 of the fastener may be made in different sizes, for the different classes of currency, so that the head of the fastener in one class cannot be shifted to currency of another class. This precaution will keep the currency of each class by itself and will prevent both confusion and felonious operations of one sort and another. There will be many bills in class A, fewer bills in class B and a relatively small number of bills in class C. The member 8, in class A may be made out of some relatively base metal, the corresponding part in class B-being made from a better metal and, in class C, the part 8 may if desired be fashioned from gold or some the invention is that, when the strip 10 is removed, the paper may. be transported like any merchandise, requirlng no more than ordinary care in shipment, the paper resume ing its dignity as a standard of value and a medium of exchange, when the strip 10is replaced. Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is: i

1. A piece of currency comprising a body and'a seal, the seal including mechanically connected, freely separable parts, one of which is mounted permanently on the body.

2. A piece of currency comprising a body; a reinforcing element on the body; and. a seal including mechanically connected, freely separable parts, one of which is mounted on the reinforcing element.

3. A piece of currency comprising a body and a seal,the seal including mechanically connected, freely separable parts, one of which is mounted on the body; and a flexible strip carried by the other part of: the seal and constituting means for separating the parts of the seal.

4:. A piece of currency comprising a body; a reinforcin element on the body; aseal'ineluding mec anically connected, freelyv sep-' arable parts, one of which is mounted on the reinforcing element; and a flexible strip carried'by the other part of the seal.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature inthe presence of two witnesses.

. WILLIAM HENRY GENTNER.

Witnesses:

HENRY Gnmnnn, Jix, Mrs. LYDIA ,GENTNER. 

